The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during

the nineteenth century.

Rafael de Rojas Rafael de Rojas ÁÁlvarez.lvarez.

Antonio Ramos CarrilloAntonio Ramos Carrillo

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

DEPARTAMENTO DE FARMACIA Y TECNOLOGÍA FARMACÉUTICAFacultad de FarmaciaUniversidad de Sevilla

DEPARTAMENTO DE FARMACIA Y TECNOLOGÍA FARMACÉUTICAFacultad de FarmaciaUniversidad de Sevilla

39 ICHP

OBJECTIVE

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

The objective of this communication is to analyse the disease and its consequences during the nineteenth century, as well as the drug treatments used in the Hospital called “of the Santa Caridad of Seville”.

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

MIGUEL MAÑARA: THE FOUNDER OF THE HOSPITAL OF THE SANTA CARIDAD

PHOTOGRAPHS OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF STUDIED STUDIED DOCUMENTS IN DOCUMENTS IN THE ARCHIVE OF THE ARCHIVE OF THE HOSPITALTHE HOSPITAL

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

ANTCIENT ILLUSTRATIONS:FRONT AND HALLS OF THE HOSPITAL

YARD OF THE SANTA CARIDAD OF SEVILLE.

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

We have studied the years 1840, 1845, 1850, 1855, 1860, 1865, 1895 and 1900. In the following chart, we can see the number of deaths of each year:

1840 1845 1850 1855 1860 1865 1895 1900 32 58 51 70 66 57 64 49

The total number of deaths in the Hospital of the Santa Caridad during those years was 447. We should pay attention to the rise of deaths during the period between 1855 and 1860, what, probably, was the result of the epidemics of cholera that affected Seville in that time.

Graphic I.

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

Causes of death according to the Books of Deaths.We have studied the years 1840, 1845, 1850, 1855, 1860, 1865, 1895 and 1900.

TABLE 1

With respect to diseases which affect the Respiratory System, there are 132 archived cases, which represent 29.53% out of the total. Among these ones, we can name cases of asthma, bronchopneumonias, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary cold, pulmonary congestion, chronic pneumonia, tuberculosis and lung ulcer.

In second place of importance we should stress the diseases referred to the Digestive System, with 95 cases that represent 21.25% out of the total. As some examples we can say cases of nervous colics, diarrhoeas, dysenteries, chronic enteritis, chronic gastritis, chronic gastroenteritis and chronic hepatitis.

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

-STOMACHAL CONDITIONS: BISMUTO Y CARBÓN.-PULMONARY CONDITIONS: AMONIACO, BREA, CULANTRILLO. -ASTHMA: ALCANFOR, ESTRAMONIO, BELLADONA.-BRONQUITIS: AZUFAIFAS, BÁLSAMO TOLÚ, IPECACUANA, FLOR MALVA. -HEART PAINS: ALCANFOR, FLOR VIOLETA, OPIO.-CHRONIC COLDS: BÁLSAMO TOLÚ, ESCILA, IPECACUANA. -DIARRHEA: ACETATO PLOMO CRISTALIZADO, ARROZ, CARBÓN.-DYSENTERY: AMONÍACO, BISMUTO, RATANIA, IPECACUANA, OPIO. -DYSPEPSIA: FLOR DE ARISTOLAQUIA, MAGNESIA, MANZANILLA. -EDEMAS: ACETATO POTÁSICO, AMONÍACO, NITRATO POTASA, ESCILA. -PNEUMONIAS: ALMIZCLE, ÁCIDO TARTÁRICO, KERMES MINERAL.-PARALYSIS: AMONÍACO, ÁRNICA, ESTRICNINA, FLOR DE ARISTOLAQUIA. -SYPHILIS: DULCAMARA, YODURO MERCURIO, YODURO POTÁSICO, FLOR SAÚCO. -TUBERCULOSIS: HOJAS DE BELLADONA, IPECACUANA. -URINARY INFECTIONS: CULANTRILLO.

COUPLE DISEASE-DRUG TREATMENTThe hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

Cf.: RAMOS CARRILLO, Antonio: La Sanidad sevillana en el siglo XIX: El Hospital de las Cinco Llagas. Sevilla, Diputación Provincial de Sevilla, 2003.

The diarrhoeas, as symptoms of diseases such as gastritis, enteritis, dysenteries or nervous colics, were treated with albuminous water, phenolic water, syrup of red roses, Dower’s powder, quina aluminate powderand compounds of opium, among others. The syrup of red roses was made from red roses, hot water and simple syrup. There was also a syrup of pale roses, which was made from pale roses, hot water and simple syrup, and which was used in cases of constipation. The Dower’s powder was composed by potassium sulphate, potassium nitrate, ipecacuanha, liquorice and dry opium extract. The albuminouswater was formed by 3 to 6 eggs whites whipped in a litre of water. The quina aluminate powder was used to cure stomach diseases, chronic diarrhoeas and chronic ulcers and its formula had quina calisaya 30.00, aluminium potassium sulphate 8.00, cinnamon 2.00, camphor 2.00.

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

Respiratory processes such as bronchitis, chronic pneumonia, asthma and, above all, tuberculosis, whose principal symptoms were cough and disorders in the expectoration, were treated with albuminous water, tar-water, Bañares’ water, pectoral tisane and poppy syrup, pectoral decoction of Hispania, pectoral syrup, white looc and houndstongue pills, among others.

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

In cardiovascular processes the mainly used treatments were the common foxglove and the violet flower, using in cases of edemas, the tincture of Spanish flies (cantharides).

As a important type of tincture we could name the alcoholic tincture of Spanish flies which, besides being used in edemas, was also a rubefacient and, used internally, was an aphrodisiac. And the emollient iodidedcataplasm could be used in cases of heart attacks.

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

To treat processes referred to the reproductive system, for example the syphilis, they used mercury iodide, mercurial ointment and mercurial powder, which were composed by double mercury of Hanemann, opium and gun tragacanth. They also used the Robs, which were medicinal tisanes that were used as usual drink for the patients, that’s why the concentration of active principles of the Robs was quite low. They were prepared by solution, soaking or cooking. Among others, we have found the anti-syphilitic Robs of Arnoud, used to treat the persistent syphilis. Its formula, according to Fr, is antimonium sulphide 50.00, guayaco8.00, torvisco bark 8.00, common spindle bark, fish tail 8.00, sarsaparilla 60.00, and water 1500.00.

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

After analysing the diseases that caused the deaths in the Hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville since 1840, we conclude that most of them were related to this lack of hygiene and the unhealthy situation of the people. The most common diseases were the digestive diseases, whose principal symptom was diarrhoea, and the respiratory diseases, information which coincides in that time with the one of the reference hospital of the city (Central Hospital).The relation of diseases and drug treatment would surely be wider, but the absence of documental evidence, up to now, of the existence of the pharmacy in the hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville, has made us to focus on the most used drugs of that century in our city and venture to state that they came from pharmacies from the outside of the hospital.

CONCLUSSIONS:

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

The hospital of the Santa Caridad of Seville: study of diseases and drug treatments during the nineteenth century.